Half-Life 2: Episode One Review

It's about time I move away from constantly bitching about my life and put this blog to good use... which means it's time for a game review!

There isn't anything else that I can say about Half-Life. The original 1998 game was, quite simply, the best interactive experience to come along since 1985's launch of Super Mario Bros. on the NES. (This is debatable by just a few months, as "Ocarina of Time" for the N64 hit shelves a few months later, stealing that title). Just as Nintendo reinvented video games and gave raise to a dying industry, Valve brought the first person shooter - the staple genre of the PC platform - and said "we will not stand still."

The rest is history. Gordan Freeman is a name well-known to almost any dedicated PC gamer, and there isn't a single first-person shooter today that can't trace some element of gameplay or presentation back to Half-Life.

With Half-Life 2, Valve modernized not only their technology, but their story and gameplay as well. Although Half-Life is seen as a revolutionary product, Half-Life 2 tweaks, tinkers, and maximizes the formula established in 1998, creating yet again the most genre-defining first person shooter to date.

Half-Life 2: Episode One is Valve's stab at episodic gaming content. As where Half-Life 2 was a six-year development ordeal that nearly killed fans in anticipation, Episode One is a quick shot in the arm to fans a mere 18 months after HL2's release.

Indeed, it may just be better than Half-Life 2 itself.

By reusing artwork, models, and technology, Valve was able to focus on creating new story, gameplay, and (admittedly) new technology for the release of Episode One. Indeed, the story cliff-hanger at the end of HL2 left a lot of loose ends. Episode One answers a few old questions, but creates a whole lot more at the same time.

Without spilling too many story details, by the end of Episode One, players will finally have a grasp on the overall Half-Life story arc. It's also apparent that we are more than halfway through the overall Half-Life saga.

Once again Valve uses technology to enhance gameplay, all the while improving visuals with HDR and, more importantly, huge performance enhancements. I noticed my average framerates on my Athlon 64 1.8 GHz, 1GB DDR-400, ATi Radeon x700 (256MB, 128-bit) machine improved by about 20 to 40% - a huge increase. This performance increase is worth the purchase of Episode One alone.

The four-to-six hours that Valve advertises the gameplay as is overstated. I blew through the episode in three and a half my first time through, although being an experienced Half-Lifer, that's to be expected. Not to say that the game is easy... I just know how to Gravity Gun my way through most levels pretty quickly. Enemy encounters have gotten harder as well, especially when the lights went out and the HEV Suit flashlight becomes your friend.

All in all, the story elements, character interaction (voice acting and NPC animation is second to none), gameplay additions, and... well, it's more Half-Life, add up to an episodic purchase that's well worth it's $19.99 price tag. Seasoned Half-Life players may feel burned by the price, especially if they blow through the five chapters as fast as I did, but be rest assured: some serious shit is going to go down in the next two episodes, and Episode One is worth the ride.